At least 24 people have died in Venezuela in protests in rejection of the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro, heavily repressed by law enforcement officials, who on Tuesday closed ranks with the leftist ruler.
Maduro was proclaimed by the electoral authority as re-elected president for a third six-year term with 52 percent of the vote compared to 43 percent of opponent Edmundo González Urrutia, representative of leader María Corina Machado, who denounces fraud.
Hours after the first bulletin, demonstrations broke out in Caracas and other cities in the country, including poor neighborhoods that historically defined themselves as Chavistas.
“The records (…) report 24 people killed between Sunday, July 28 and Monday, August 5, in events and protests related to the elections,” according to a report by the human rights NGO Provea, which includes a military man.
The balance coincides with a report earlier offered by the director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch, Juanita Goebertus.
The mobilizations almost instantly diminished in the midst of repression and arbitrary detentions denounced by activists. The press has reported the death of protesters who arrived injured in health centres.
Maduro has reported two soldiers dead, not to mention civilian casualties. He has said that there are more than 2,200 people arrested, whom he calls “terrorists” and which he links to a plan to overthrow him.
The president said he enlists two high-security prisons to transfer these detainees.
On Tuesday, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo rejected “any act that leads to an increase in violence or generates repression” and urged “a lot of caution, a lot of prudence, to prevent outbreaks of violence from being generated.”
Colombia, Brazil and Mexico are pushing for a political agreement in Venezuela that will overcome the crisis.
“Desperate and seditious”
Machado – who denounces a “terror campaign” of the government – called for a vigil on Thursday “for the freedom of political prisoners.” It is unclear if he will attend.
Although he attended a massive opposition rally last Saturday on Saturday, he remains hidden by declaring fear for his life.
González Urrutia, meanwhile, has not been seen in public for a week.
The prosecution opened an investigation against both for “instigation of the insurrection” and other crimes such as “conspiracy,” after they published an open letter to the military and police in which they defended the opposition victory in the elections and asked the uniforms to “next to the people.”
The Venezuelan Armed Forces, in response, reiterated on Tuesday its “absolute loyalty” to Maduro and described those requests for support as “desperate and seditious,” according to a statement read earlier by Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino.
“These fatuous and irrational calls seek to break our unity and institutionality, but they will never succeed,” said Padrino, accompanied by the military and police high command.
Last week, Maduro called for jail for Machado and González Urrutia.
The European Union, which has questioned Maduro’s victory as well as the United States and several Latin American countries, called for an end to what he calls a “campaign of judicial intimidation.”
In addition to the weapons, the military controls mining, oil and food distribution companies, as well as customs and 12 of 34 ministries, including major portfolios such as Oil, Energy, Defence, Internal Relations and Trade.
The opposition and experts denounce corruption networks that have enriched many officers.
Certification of the result
The future of the election rests for now on the supreme court, which Maduro asked to “certify” the outcome.
The CNE has not published the details of the outcome of the July 28 election. His website has not been in operation since and claims his system was check-in, which experts dismiss.
The Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) cited candidates and representatives of the parties to record and “answer questions” regarding the case. González Urrutia is due to attend on Wednesday and Maduro on Friday.
“The lack of appearance before this room will have the consequences foreseen in our current legal system,” warned TSJ President Caryslia Rodriguez.
Machado and Gonzalez claim to have evidence of the opposition victory, after publishing copies of more than 80% of the voting records.
The opposition considers the TSJ an “appendix” of Chavismo and academics and political leaders consider the case inappropriate.
This article has been translated after first appearing in Diario El Mundo